A weekly recounting of the weekend adventures of Tom Kotynski, retired Great Falls Tribune Associate Editor, who prowls Montana's mountains and communities' happenings. All photos and writing are copyright Tom Kotynski.

About Me

Sunday, January 23, 2011

A quick run down O'Brien Creek

An early start; daybreak on the hill

Skiing down toward Divide Road

On the trail toward the creek

It's playoff day and the Bears played the Packers.
That meant I needed to get back in time for 1 p.m. kickoff from Soldier's Field.
That called for a short backcountry run.
I hadn't done O'Brien Creek this year yet.
It's a quick 8-mile downhill from Showdown to Neihart.
Wayne Phillips and I did it in what we thought was a leisurely 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The snow was just about perfect, although drifted in spots. The snow in the beaver willows sparkled in the sunshine like diamonds.
A large group had broken Saturday's fresh dump, so it was easy saling.
O'Brien is the consummate Great Falls-area beginners' backcountry run.
We got an early start and saw no other skiers.
However, at the very end of the run we did bump into four snowmobilers on their way up the final, shared part of the trail. They would undoubtedly ruin the bottom part of the trail.
Luckily, we were there before them.

New 2015 Front Book edition now available

2006 Front book updates and corrections

On Feb. 24, 2008 I posted updates and corrections for the 2006 edition of my book, "Discover the Rocky Mountain Front." This has been corrected in the second, 2015 edition, released June 10, 2015. In the First Edition, these are important for a number of reasons. First, there's an significant correction to the Muddy Creek Falls hike. Second, there's an update on trails affected by the 2007 fires season. Finally, there is a land ownership change in the Falls Creek Roadless Area, effectively closing the area from the Dearborn River.To find these updates you can go to the archive and look for February 2008, or search for "Front book updates."I will also be glad to e-mail these to anyone who asks. Contact me at: tomkotynski@msn.com and put "front updates" in the title line.Tom KotynskiFebruary 2008